Bret Hart Turned Down Match With Kurt Angle Fearing That He Would Embarass Himself

Bret Hart will always be regarded as the Best there was, the Best there is, and the Best there ever will be. He gave fans memorable moments and competed in various dream bouts against other top stars. However, the one name Hart himself omitted from this list is Kurt Angle.

The Olympic Gold Medalist arrived at WWE in 1999, two years later after Bret Hart’s exit in Montreal from the company. Kurt Angle claimed that he always wanted to have a dream showdown with The Hitman. He spoke about this during an interview with The A2theK Wrestling Show.

“Bret Hart was always my dream match from when I started in WWE. I always thought I’d have a match with him… He went to WCW, and unfortunately, he got knocked out and had the concussion and then he had a stroke.”

Kurt Angle further stated that he once pitched to get Bret Hart to compete against him at WrestleMania 21.

““I tried to get Bret to wrestle at WrestleMania, I believe, 21 (in 2005). I understood why he said no because where I am in my life now, I know I can’t have the Kurt Angle match that fans expect and Bret was trying to tell me at that particular time ‘I’m not the Bret Hart I used to be and I’m not gonna go out there and embarrass myself.’

The Hitman declined Angle’s offer, claiming that he feared that he would embarrass himself and not be the Bret Hart he once was. In his book, Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, Bret Hart briefly touched on this subject.

“I’m not the Bret Hart I used to be, and I’m not gonna go out there and embarrass myself.”

Bret Hart retired from wrestling in 2000, after suffering a major concussion at the hands of Bill Goldberg. Kurt Angle, on the hand, went on to face Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21. The match has been regarded as one of the greatest wrestling bouts to take place at The Show of Shows.

Do you think Bret Hart should have wrestled Kurt Angle at WrestleMania? Sound off in the comments!